Ground rod connecter



Feb. 8, 1938. M. F. PIERCE GROUND ROD CONNECTER Filed July 51, 1955 llll IL I I H I HU I HHTIIIII IL llllllllll Patented Feb. 8, 1938 I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GROUND ROD CONNECTER Milo Fred Pierce, Aurora, 111., assignor to Western United Gas and Electric Company, Aurora, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application July 31, 1935, Serial No. 34,056

2 Claims. (Cl. 173-31) y inVentiOn relates t ground rod connecters tures D and E respectively, which extend through of the type used for the purpose of electrically the collar and into which the conductors to be connecting a conductor to a ground rod. joined are inserted. In the present structure,

One of the objects of my invention is to protheapertures D and E are of different diameters 5 vide a device of this character in which the electo correspond to the different diameters of the trical contact between the conductors is accomconductors, and one opens into the other so that plished by actually bringing about the embedding the conductors are actually in contact with each of the metal of the connecter in the conductors other at F. to be connected under the force of considerable The apertures D and E are preferably larger pressure so that the connection will be of low than the conductors, principally for the purpose l0 resistance, will remain uniform, and will not be of freely inserting or removing the conductors. subject to corrosion. The walls of these openings or apertures are Another object is to provide an inexpensive parallel with the conductors, although this is not connecter requiring no special tools for its innecessary but is preferably from a manufacturing stallation and capable of ready removal and restandpoint. l5 peated use. The conductors are forced into contact with Other objects of the invention will appear from each other by the connecter and a tapered pin or the following description and claims by reference a wedging device G which extends through anto the accompanying drawing which illustrates other aperture H in the collar and which forms a one embodiment of the invention. seat for the tapered wedging member G. The 20 Referring to the drawing, wall of the seat is accordingly tapered or ar- Fig. 1 is a view in elevation of a ground Wire ranged at an angle corresponding to the taper of and ground rod in assembled relation, and conthe wedge member, as shown more clearly in Figs.

nected by means of my device; 2 and 3. The tapered side of the wedging mem- Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 2--2 of her is transversely curved to conform to the seat 25 Fig. H, but the opposite side J is preferably flat so as to Fig. 3 is a vertical section substantially on the bear against the ground rod as shown. line 3-3 of Fig. 2; After the conductors are inserted in the collar Fig. 4 is another vertical section at right angles in position to be connected, the wedging member on the line 44 of Fig. 2; is inserted in its seat and driven therein by means 30 Fig. 5 is a detail of the upper end of a ground of a hammer or other suitable tool. The wedgrod illustrating the manner in which the coning action of the wedging member causes the connecter metal is embedded in to the metal of the ductors to be drawn into contact with a relatively ground rod; and great force. While electrical contact is neces- Fig. 6 is a similar View of the ground wire sarily made between the collar and conductor by 35 illustrating the same contact. virtue of the intimate engagement which the In the drawing, A represents the end portion of wedging member has with the collar and ground a typical ground rod generally driven or sunk into rod, I do not rely upon this engagement for perthe ground for electrical purposes; and B reprefecting electrical connection. Surface contacts sents the end portion of a wire or conductor of this character have in the past not proven 40 adapted to be electrically connected to the satisfactory, being subject to corrosion and lack ground rod. of constancy. In addition, I provide knife edge While these conductors are of relatively difiercontacts wherein the metal of the collar becomes ent diameters and are circular in cross-section, it actually embedded in the metal of the conductors.

is understood, of course, that they may be of any This is accomplished by a number of ribs or pro- 5 diameter and cross-section in shape, and that jections on the walls of the apertures so arranged the shape of the connecter may be conformed that when the wedging force is applied to the thereto. collar, these ribs will actually pierce the metal of The connecter embodied in my invention and the conductors and become embedded therein.

illustrated in the drawing involves a band or In the present structure the wall of the aperture 50 collar 0, preferably in the form of a closed loop, E has an instanding rib K extending the length of adapted to embrace or surround the conductors the aperture and preferably positioned in dito be connected. The collar member is preferametrical alignment with both conductors. In ably made of hard brass or other suitable nonlike manner the wall of the aperture D is procorrosive material. It has two openings or apervlded with similar ribs L positioned on either side 55 of the diameters of the conductors. These ribs are integral with the collar and are preferably triangular shaped in section so that sharp knife edges are formed. The force provided by the wedging member causes the knife-edged ribs to actually pierce and deform the metal of the conductors to the extent of forming grooves M therein, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. The projections thus actually become embedded in the metal of the conductors and the electrical contact formed thereby becomes so intimate and effective that it has proven immune to the entrance of corroding factors and has remained constant and uniform through long periods of time.

The connecter may be readily removed at any time by driving out the wedging member, and may be repeatedly used because of the fact that none of the parts become damaged or distorted.

While the structure shown is conformed to conductors of different diameters, it is obvious that the diameters of the conductors, the shape of the collar, and its recesses or apertures, and the number of ribs, may be varied without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I contemplate such changes as may fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a ground rod connecter of the class described, the combination of a ground rod and a conductor to be connected therewith adapted to be positioned in contact with and at one side of the ground rod, a closed band surrounding the ground rod and conductor and having intersecting apertures therethrough for said ground rod and conductor, said apertures having knifeedged ribs instanding from their walls, said band having a recess forming a. tapered seat at the side of the ground rod opposite said conductor, and a removable tapered wedge member seated in said tapered seat and adapted to be driven between said seat and said ground rod to force said ribs to pierce the metal of the ground rod and conductor and become embedded therein.

2. As an article of manufacture, a. ground connecter comprising a single piece of metal formed as a closed loop and having a central aperture therethrough and a different sized intersecting recess at one side thereof to accommodate the electrical conductors to be connected, and longitudinal integral knife edge ribs on the walls of said aperture and recess in position to engage the conductors, the wall of said aperture also having a tapered recess on the opposite side of said central aperture to accommodate a wedging member between said tapered portion and the conductors.

MILO FRED PIERCE. 

